Some things in life are inevitable, and Starfield bugs are right at the top of the list. Bethesda Softworks finally gave us what we’ve been waiting for during the Xbox Bethesda Games Showcase and presented several minutes’ worth of Starfield gameplay. While we were digging into the backgrounds, planet names, and devotees of the jumping religion, one fan spotted something else: the first Starfield bug.
The first bug shows up roughly halfway through the gameplay reveal, as the camera pans out around what looks like one of the Constellation bases. If you blink you’ll miss it. In fact, if you don’t zoom in, you’ll probably still miss it. The only indication something potentially awry is taking place is a slight shudder from the NPC model. Reddit user LotteryGamer took a closer look and saw what seems to be the NPC looking backward in the normal way, and then getting their head stuck while their body continues moving forward.
What makes this even better and gives it that usual Bethesda charm is the timing. Right as the NPC’s head gets stuck in reverse, another character who’s exiting the compound notices and just stares as the clip ends.
“This is the most Bethesda thing I’ve ever seen and I love it,” one user commented.
“That’s how we know it’s an honest gameplay video,” another said.
You can see for yourself at 7:50 in the trailer.
The Starfield bug is in keeping with what tends to happen to Bethesda releases. When Skyrim first launched in 2011, it did so with a bevy of bugs – glitches that glued you to chairs and other objects, a busted fast travel system, and one rather peculiar bug that put baskets on everyone’s heads.
That last one had an added bonus of letting you steal from them without consequences, and while we can’t figure out what unintended benefits “head stuck on backwards” might offer in Starfield, it’s probably not the last bug we’ll see from the space RPG.
Never change, Bethesda.
